Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration HMEP Grant Program Continuing Application Webinar States & Territories December 16, 2020 ...
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Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
HMEP Grant Program
Continuing Application Webinar
States & Territories
December 16, 2020
1
Agenda
1. PHMSA Introduction and Overview
2. Tentative deadlines
3. Developing the Continuing Application
• Project Narrative
• Budget and Budget Narrative
4. Questions/Comments
5. Contact Information
2
PHMSA’s Vision and Mission Vision To be the most innovative transportation safety organization in world. Mission To protect people and the environment by advancing the safe transportation of energy and other hazardous material that are essential to our daily lives.
The Department of Transportation’s Priority: Rural Opportunities to Use
Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) Initiative
ROUTES is an initiative to address disparities in rural transportation infrastructure. Specifically,
rural transportation infrastructure’s unique challenges need to be considered in order to meet our
Nation’s priority transportation goals of safety and economic competitiveness.
4
How do I determine if my training or planning activity is
located in an urban or rural area?
• If a project is located within an Urbanized Area (UA) as designated by the U.S. Census, the
urban or rural designation is based on the population of that UA. If the UA had a population
greater than 200,000 in the 2010 Census, the project will be designated as urban.
• A project will be designated as rural if it is located:
In an UA that had a population less than 200,000 in the 2010 Census; or
In a Census designated Urban Cluster; or
Outside an UA
• To determine if a location is in a Census-Designated UA, please consult Census maps of
Urbanized Areas:
http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/UAUC_RefMap/ua/ (detailed PDF maps for
every UA)
5
PHMSA Hazmat Grants Team
Director
Aaron Mitchell
Chief
Shakira Mack
Senior Grants Management
Specialist
Carla Sheppard
Grants Management Specialists
Andre White, Bonita Brown, Flor Valencia, Lisa
Reichenbacher, Matthew Hufford, Suezett Edwards
Program Support
Rose Achieng – Business Analyst
Shannon Logan – Administrative Assistant
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PHMSA Hazmat Grant Program Purpose
• Increase State, Territorial, Tribal, and local effectiveness in safely and efficiently handling
hazardous materials incidents.
• Enhance implementation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986
(EPCRA).
• Encourage a comprehensive approach to emergency training and planning by incorporating the
unique challenges of responses to transportation situations.
7
Tentative Deadlines
December 2020: Applicants should have received Year 3 funding allocation via email.
January 4 – March 8, 2021(tentatively): Continuing application submissions.
March – June 2021: Continuing application review by PHMSA.
September 2021(tentatively): Notice of Grant Agreement (NGA) issued. Period of performance is
09/30/2019 – 09/30/2022.
Any questions concerning your application should be submitted to hmep.grants@dot.gov.
8
HMEP Grant Continuing Application Forms
y
9
HMEP Grant Continuing Application Forms
Standard Forms
• Budget Information (SF-424A)
Application Forms
• Project Narrative
• Budget Narrative
• Indirect Cost Agreement (if applicable)
No certification forms, Governor’s letters, statements, etc., are required. This was done in Year 1 and
considered valid for the entire project period unless applicant provides notification of a change.
10Completing the Project Narrative
11Project Narrative Overview
The project narrative includes:
1. Grantee Information
2. Needs Assessment (include rural needs)
3. Activities Supporting Program Goals
4. Grantee and Sub-Grantee Activities
12Grantee Information
Designated Agency
• Name
• Address
Contact Information (name, phone number, and email address of the following):
• Authorized Representative – not program/finance manager
• Program Manager
• Finance Program Manager or Equivalent
13What is a Needs Assessment?
It is a clear and well-supported statement that identifies and addresses instances where needs are or not
met.
DESIRED PROGRAM - ACTUAL PROGRAM = PROGRAM NEED
It is important to differentiate between program needs and program wants.
Consistent with the Department’s R.O.U.T.E.S. Initiative (https://www.transportation.gov/rural), the
Department encourages applicants to describe how activities proposed in their application would address
the unique challenges facing rural transportation networks, regardless of the geographic location of those
activities.
If you have previously included all activities covering the entire 3-year performance period and there are
no changes, please annotate “no changes” in this section.
14Activities Supporting Program Goals
Planning activities fall under section 303 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act
(EPCRA), e.g. commodity flow studies, hazard risk analyses, emergency plans to be written, emergency
plans to be updated, and emergency plans to be exercised.
Training activities fall under the NFPA 472 core competencies or OSHA 29 CFR § 1910.120(q). Provide
training type, training activity description, number of courses to be held, and the projected number of
individuals to be trained.
All activities must be allowable, allocable, reasonable, and necessary (2 CFR 200).
If you have previously included all activities covering the entire 3-year performance period and there are
no changes, please annotate “no changes” in this section.
15Grantee & Sub-Grantee Activity Information
Activity 1 No change from previous application
Training
Jan 15, 2021
Activity 2
Commodity Flow Study N/A N/A $20,000.00 Jan 2021
Planning
QTR 2
Jan 15, 2021
Activity 3
Hazmat Technician Class 22 1500 $97,000.00 Jan 2021
Training
QTR 2
16Project Narrative Reminders
• A good place to start is the HMEP Expenditures Guide: https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/grants/hazmat/hmep-
expenditures-guide-pdf
• No more than 25% of the grant can fund maintenance and administration costs (M&A).
• Grantees are highly encouraged to include sub-grantee information in the grant application. However, if not
included, grantees will be required to submit these activities post award to:
https://hazmatgrants.phmsa.dot.gov.
17Project Narrative Reminders, continued
• Ensure that the grantee and sub-grantee activity information grid is complete with a brief synopsis under
the description column. If a section is not applicable, please indicate N/A.
• If there are multiple activity requests post-award, an updated application may be required. Please consult
with your Grant Specialist for guidance.
• If you have previously included all activities covering the entire 3-year performance period and there are no
changes, please annotate “no changes” in this section.
18Completing the Budget and Budget Narrative
19Budget (SF-424A) & Budget Narrative Overview
Applicants must include a budget(424A) and budget
narrative as a part of the continuing grant application.
The budget and budget narrative provide cost detail on
activities and projected purchases listed in the project
narrative.
• The budget provides an overview of costs organized
by object class category.
• The budget narrative explains these costs in detail
and how they are calculated.
Together, the budget and budget narrative provide a
forecast of expenditures to measure against the
applicant’s actual financial operations.
20Budget (SF-424A) & Budget Narrative Reminders
• SF-424A line items should have a corresponding explanation in the budget narrative as to how it was
calculated.
• The applicant must explain how they will meet the 20% matching contribution in the budget narrative.
• The applicant must submit an indirect cost rate agreement if claiming indirect costs. If the ICRA has
expired, please reach out to your cognizant agency to establish an updated rate.
21Budget SF-424A Section A
HMEP
Continuing
Application
Enter the Year-3 (FY21) Federal and Non-Federal amounts in their respective columns under the New or
Revised Budget heading. Column G will calculate the total automatically.
22Budget SF-424A Section B
HMEP
Continuing Enter federal costs only. Please do
Application
not include matching amounts in
this section.
23Budget SF-424A Section C
HMEP Continuing Application
Enter matching costs only in this section.
Section D (Forecasted Cash Needs) and Section E (Budget Estimates of Federal Funds Needed for
Balance of the Project) are not required for the continuing application.
24Budget SF-424A Section F
Section F includes the grand total of the budget for direct and indirect charges.
If claiming indirect costs, please fill out indirect charges and attach the indirect cost rate agreement.
25Budget Narrative Line Items
This section provides the definition as well as tips
for correctly filling out each line item in the budget
narrative.
26Budget Narrative Personnel Costs (2 CFR 200.430)
This line item refers to the cost of wages and salaries paid to employees of the applicant who are directly
involved in grant implementation. Generally, personnel are issued a W-2 by the applicant.
• Utilize the budget narrative to give the position title, position description, employee status (full or part-
time), hourly wage or salary, percentage of time dedicated to the grant, and total cost to the grant.
• Show your computational work and any assumptions made.
• Consultant or sub-grantee costs should not be included.
27Budget Narrative Fringe Benefits (2 CFR 200.431)
This line item refers to the cost of benefits paid to personnel as compensation in
addition to their regular salaries and wages, including the cost of the applicant’s
share of FICA, health insurance, workers’ compensation, and vacation.
• Utilize the budget narrative to include a description of specific benefits charged
to the project and at what percentage. Fringe benefits are only allowable for
the percentage of time devoted to the grant.
• Please show your computational work and any assumptions made.
• While personnel should have a corresponding fringe cost (and vice versa),
personnel and fringe costs must be separated into their respective line-item
categories. Please do not combine these costs together.
28Budget Narrative Travel (2 CFR 200.474)
This line item refers to the travel costs of personnel that are reasonable and
necessary to effectively manage and carry out grant activities, provide oversight,
and measure program effectiveness.
• Please utilize the budget narrative to explain travel costs. Include the travel
purpose, method of travel, number of people traveling, the number of days,
and an estimated cost for each trip. Please provide an explanation of what
activities the travel will cover.
• Please show your computational work and any assumptions made. Estimates
are acceptable if you provide a basis for determining the estimated amount
requested.
29Budget Narrative Equipment (2 CFR 200.439)
This line item refers to non-expendable personal property having a useful life of more than one year and a
per-unit cost of $5,000 or more per unit.
• Utilize the budget narrative to include a description, quantity, and per-unit price for all equipment and
how the equipment will be used on grant activities.
• Show your computational work and any assumptions made.
• If the expense is under the usual threshold of $5,000 per item, it belongs under supplies. However, if the
applicant’s equipment threshold is below $5,000, please utilize the budget narrative to provide an
explanation and state the policy citation.
30Budget Narrative Supplies (2 CFR 200.453)
This line item refers to tangible materials costing less than $5,000 per unit, such as copy paper, pens and
pencils, and computers.
• Please utilize the budget narrative to provide the quantity and per-unit cost for supplies and how the
supplies will be used on grant activities.
• Please show your computational work and any assumptions made.
• The costs for supplies should be reasonable and PHMSA will consider past requests that appear to be
similar, such as laptops.
31Budget Narrative Contractual (2 CFR 200.330)
This line item refers to the cost of any contract agreement.
• A contract is a legal instrument implemented by grant recipients to
purchase property or acquire services usually in order to carry out a
project. The property or services acquired are not directly involved in
programmatic activities.
• Utilize the budget narrative to identify your contracts and explain how
costs were derived for each.
• Show your computational work, any assumptions made, and how each
contract relates to grant activities.
32Budget Narrative Other
This line item refers to direct costs that do not fit any of the aforementioned categories, such as sub-awards,
rent for buildings used to conduct grant activities, utilities, leased equipment, child care, transportation
expenses, employee training, tuition, etc.
• Backfill, overtime, and volunteers stipends should be identified under the Other line-item.
• For sub-award, please follow your agency’s procurement policy when it comes to classifying sub-grantees as
contractual or “other” costs.
• At PHMSA we request that any sub-award costs are provided under the Other line-item, unless your
agency’s procurement policy categorizes sub-awards as sub-contracts.
• Please utilize the budget narrative to itemize “other” direct costs and provide a reasonable explanation.
• Please show your computational work, any assumptions made, and how “other” direct costs relate to grant
activities.
33Budget Narrative Indirect Costs (2 CFR 200.416)
This line item refers to costs incurred for common or joint objectives that benefit
more than one project.
• If the applicant has a current and fully executed indirect cost rate, a copy of
the indirect cost agreement signed by the cognizant Federal agency must be
included with the application.
• If the indirect cost rate agreement is in the renewal process and will not be
approved by the continuing application due date, attach the letter of renewal
or letter of request sent to your cognizant agency.
34Budget Narrative Matching (2 CFR 200.306)
This line item refers to costs not paid by Federal funds. This amount is 20% for HMEP grants (although some
waivers apply for territories).
• On the SF-424A line-item budget, please ensure to enter the match in Section A and Section C.
• Please utilize the budget narrative to clearly explain how matching costs will be met.
• Identify the type of match (i.e. soft, in-kind, cash, or combination match).
• Matching should be described in the same level of detail as Federal dollars, including a breakdown by
object class category.
• Please show your computational work and any assumptions made.
35Common Errors Found In Application Packages
• SF-424A Section B: Federal and Non-Federal are listed and often combined. Remember to only identify
Federal funds in this section of the SF-424A
• No detail information provided on how the applicant will meet the match requirement. Remember to
identify how the match will be met (in-kind, soft match, cash/hard match) and where the match will
come from. (i.e. personnel, participant time spent in training)
• Applicant will identify indirect cost on SF-424A and budget narrative but does not submit a valid indirect
cost rate agreement.
36Hazmat Grant Program
Contact Information
• Chief Shakira Mack (Shakira.Mack@dot.gov)
• Team Lead Carla Sheppard (Carla.Sheppard@dot.gov)
• General Inquiries: HMEP.Grants@dot.gov
• Website: http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/grants
• Phone: 202-366-1109
• HMEP Resources: https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/grants/hazmat/hmep-resources
3738
Announcing!!
Awareness Units
The New Online Haz Mat Awareness and Operations
Hazardous Materials
Introduction Transportation
Anatomy of a
Classifications & Hazards
Hazardous
Program is now FULLY LAUNCHED and ready for your use!
Materials
Response
Using the USDOT
Emergency Response Guidebook
Recognizing &
Developed by PHMSA, DOT in partnership with the
Identifying
Hazardous
Mateirals
Protective Actions
National Fire Academy, FEMA. Delivered online free to
Operations Units you by HAMMER, DOE.
Free 18 unit online Awareness and Operations training course
Designed to Help Meet Your Jurisdiction’s Awareness and
Operations Level Responder Training Requirements
Addresses the non-physical skills portions of the 2018 edition
of NFPA 472
Decontamination
Can be used either as a component of initial training or as
stand-alone annual refresher training to meet OSHA and your
jurisdiction’s Awareness and Operations refresher training
requirements.Awareness Units
Free and Easy to Get the Training
Hazardous Materials
• Have your responders go to the HAMMER website to sign
Introduction Transportation
Anatomy of a
Classifications & Hazards
Hazardous
Materials
up.
Response
https://dotnfa.vividlms.com
Using the USDOT
Emergency Response Guidebook
Recognizing &
Identifying
Hazardous
Mateirals
Protective Actions
• Your responders will each complete a brief sign-up process
Operations Units and get an individual user-name and password.
• Your responders can then complete the 18 courses/units at
their own pace and convenience.
• Upon completion of each course/unit, the students will
receive a certificate of completion and test score record,
which they can then submit into their training records
system or to their training manager for records credit.
No Limits, No Hassles
Decontamination
Have as many of your personnel take the training as needed.
There are no limits on numbers of students you can get trained.HMEP Grant and COVID-19
PHMSA will allow HMEP funds to be used to purchase items related to
the COVID-19 pandemic in order facilitate a safe training environment.
Grantees must submit an Activity Request (AR) and receive approval prior to purchasing
COVID-19 related supplies. Examples include, but are not limited to:
Disposable Gloves Hand Sanitizer
Disinfectant Spray Disinfectant wipes
Soap Paper towels
Masks Sneeze guards
Disposable coveralls Contactless Thermometers
• Items purchases must be used for HMEP planning or training activities and not for
operational use.
41Regulations, Statute, and Policies
• 49 USC § 5116
• 49 CFR § 110
• NFPA Standard 472
• 29 CFR §1910.120(q)
• 2 CFR § 200
42FAQs
Is there additional information on the U.S. Department of Transportation ROUTES initiative?
• Yes, use this link for more information: https://www.transportation.gov/rural
Is there additional information on the Census maps of Urbanized Areas?
• Yes, use this link for more information: http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/UAUC_RefMap/ua/
Is PHMSA going to allow grantees to incur backfill and overtime cost on the HMEP grant this year?
• Yes, PHMSA has granted the authority to allow grantees to claim backfill and overtime as well as stipends for
volunteer emergency responders. For guidance on such claims, used this link:
https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/working-phmsa/grants/nasttpo-ot-backfill-and-stipends-overview-hmep-grant-10-
13-2020
43FAQs
Can we use HMEP grant funds to ship Emergency Response Guidebooks (ERG) to a more centrally located SLRC
where LEPCs can pick them up?
• No, HMEP grants cannot be used for operational purposes.
• If using the ERGs for an approved HMEP training, it is allowable to use HMEP funds to ship the ERGs to the training
location. In such a case, the ERGs should be considered training supplies not to be retained by trainees.
• Responders should be informed that the ERG mobile app is available for download:
https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/erg/erg2016-mobileapp
Will PHMSA update the Expenditure Guidance to show the allowable and unallowable items with the ROUTES
initiative?
• The U.S. Department of Transportation’s ROUTES initiative will not change what is currently allowable and
unallowable in PHMSA’s HMEP grant program. The expenditure guidance is a living document and is updated as
changes occur in PHMSA’s Hazmat Grant Program.
44FAQs
Can an intern’s time working on a commodity flow study be charged to the HMEP grant; and if so should their time
working on the commodity flow be included in the overall cost of the project?
• Yes, the intern’s time working on a commodity flow project can be charged to the HMEP grant. A grantee should
include the intern’s time in the overall project cost of the commodity flow project in their application.
Would PHMSA allow the use of HMEP funds for volunteer emergency responders that attend approved HMEP
training?
• Yes, as of October 1, 2020 PHMSA provided guidance which allows grantees to use HMEP grant funds to provide
stipends to their volunteer emergency responders who attend approved HMEP trainings. The guidance can be
found on the HMEP webpage under related links. https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/grants/hazmat/hazardous-
materials-emergency-preparedness-hmep-grant
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